Microsoft Maps: Rotating phone to show direction?

[Yiannis_P]

Hi! I was wondering if it's possible to use a phone as a compass. I mean to immediately show the direction of your destination and keep having the arrow pointing there even when you're rotating the phone. This would be very useful especially when walking. Mine (Lumia 640) doesn't do this and I was wondering if it lacks the required sensors (no gyroscope) or it's Microsoft maps that doesn't support it or maybe there's no phone capable of doing something like that.

 

[digitaldd]

I've seen compass mode in some android phones, they are mostly the type of phones where the vendor will create an app called mirror which will simply turn on the front facing camera.

 

[mtf1380]

Hi! I was wondering if it's possible to use a phone as a compass. I mean to immediately show the direction of your destination and keep having the arrow pointing there even when you're rotating the phone. This would be very useful especially when walking. Mine (Lumia 640) doesn't do this and I was wondering if it lacks the required sensors (no gyroscope) or it's Microsoft maps that doesn't support it or maybe there's no phone capable of doing something like that.

I believe MS has is attempting to offer this, at least there is an indication of the attempt on my 950XL, BUT...at the present time it doesn't seem to work well, for me anyway. The direction indicator appears as an arrow stemming from the "your location" icon on the Map App, and should reference the direction you are moving/facing. It's not real accurate for me, on last I checked.

 

[Yiannis_P]

Glad to hear that maps on 950XL at least try to indicate where you're facing at, even if it's not very accurate. I was planning to buy this phone. My 640 also has an arrow supposed to show your direction but it won't refresh unless you walk for 50m

 

[EspHack]

Hi! I was wondering if it's possible to use a phone as a compass. I mean to immediately show the direction of your destination and keep having the arrow pointing there even when you're rotating the phone. This would be very useful especially when walking. Mine (Lumia 640) doesn't do this and I was wondering if it lacks the required sensors (no gyroscope) or it's Microsoft maps that doesn't support it or maybe there's no phone capable of doing something like that.

you answered that, no gyro

on a phone with a gyro/magnetometer you can simply touch the "show position" dot twice and it will track the way your phone is pointing at, and will adjust maps orientation on whether your phone lays flat in relation to ground or upright on your hand/car holder,

 

[Diamond67]

Hi! I was wondering if it's possible to use a phone as a compass.

Maybe not with Microsoft Maps, but you could try GPS Calculator -app. It has Compass/Navigation feature where you can point a location on the map and then there will be an arrow showing you the direction to go.